The club declared on Tuesday that veteran coach José Mourinho is departing Roma “with immediate effect,” capping a sometimes fruitful but occasionally tumultuous tenure in the Italian city.
Two days before to the transfer, Roma was in ninth place in Serie A and facing elimination from the Champions League for the sixth consecutive year following a 3-1 loss to AC Milan.
Last week, Lazio defeated Roma in another Italian Cup derby.
Mourinho’s contract at Roma was set to expire in June during his third season there. In his first season, he guided the Giallorossi to the UEFA Conference League championship, and the previous season, Roma advanced to the Europa League final.
However, Mourinho has received a number of bans for his demonstrations and outbursts at officials, which Roma’s American owners evidently found objectionable.
Following Roma’s defeat to Sevilla, Mourinho aggressively abused the Europa League final referee in a stadium garage, earning him a four-game ban from European competitions by UEFA. Due to protests, he was also suspended for Sunday’s match against Milan.
The club released a statement saying, “AS Roma can confirm that José Mourinho and his coaching staff will leave the club with immediate effect.”
Owners Dan and Ryan Friedkin said, “On behalf of all of us at AS Roma, we would like to thank José for his passion and efforts since his arrival at the club.”
“Although we have wonderful memories of his time at Roma, we think that an immediate change is best for the club.”
Updates regarding the coaching staff “will follow imminently,” Roma continued.
There have been rumors that ownership is attempting to sign Antonio Conte for the upcoming campaign, while former Roma captain Daniele De Rossi is being considered as a potential interim manager.
Following his declaration last month that he wished to extend his contract at Roma, the 60-year-old Mourinho may be heading to a Saudi Arabian club or a role with the national team.
With the Conference League championship in 2022, Roma won its first European trophy in over 60 years. It was Mourinho’s fifth European championship as well.
Mourinho is the first manager to lead four separate clubs to European trophies. He also won the 2003 UEFA Cup and 2004 Champions League with Porto, the 2010 Champions League with Inter Milan, and the 2017 Europa League with Manchester United. In addition, he led Real Madrid and Chelsea to multiple national championships.
However, Mourinho’s defensive tactics are difficult to watch, and Roma’s budget was burdened by his high contract. Nonetheless, the Portuguese coach was a major factor in attracting talented players like Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala to the Giallorossi, and his eccentric nature was partly responsible for the stadium’s continuous sell-out attendance.
